Misunderstandings
by thewindinthemeadow
Summary: Solangelo. Just how I see their relationship. More problems in their relationship than most stories, because I can't see them getting together without some sort of disaster. Rated T because the ratings were confusing and it seemed reasonable.
1. Chapter 1

I ducked under a tree branch and headed farther into the forest. I tried not to think about all the monsters that might be there. Maybe I should have brought some sort of weapon, or at least a flashlight. I had just ran off into the forest without thinking it through. The twilight darkened. It was only about twenty minutes after sunset, but it would be dark soon.

I was just considering giving up and heading back to camp when I saw the person I'd been looking for. He was standing by the river, staring into the darkness. I ran over to him, nearly tripping over a root.

"Hey, Death Boy," I called.

He didn't turn around. "Don't call me that," he said.

I walked over and stood next to him. "What are you doing in the woods at this time of day?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same question," he said. He was quiet for a moment before adding, "It's easier to think out here."

I glanced around at the dark trees, trying to understand why he would come here to think. I liked to think at midday under the brilliant sun. We were polar opposites.

"Why are you here?" he asked. He turned to me and looked me in the eye. I stared into his dark brown eyes and lost the ability to think clearly.

I blurted out the truth on accident. "I was following you."

He looked a bit puzzled. "Why?" he asked. "I've been behaving myself, so you can't want to drag me back to the infirmary."

My usual excuse for when I panicked talking to him was to drag him to the infirmary. He was so weak, and so careless of his own health. Normally that excuse worked. But this time he was right. He'd been following my instructions, and he was the healthiest he'd been in months. So I couldn't bring him to the infirmary.

"I wanted to talk to you," I said.

"What about?" he asked. He looked at me neutrally. We'd been friends for weeks now, and I still couldn't read his facial expressions at all. He always looked calm and collected, no matter what he was thinking. It was hopeless, trying to figure him out.

"I wanted to…" I trailed off. How was I supposed to say that I'd had a massive crush on him since the Titan War, and it had only gotten worse over the past few weeks as I learned more about him? He would probably think I was an idiot. He was a war hero, and the son of Hades. Strong, intimidating, feared. I was just a child of Apollo with a pathetic, unrequited crush. I'd never even killed a monster in my life.

My crush waved his hand in front of my face. "Solace?" he asked.

My cheeks burned. I hoped he couldn't see them in the dark, but he probably could. He was a son of Hades, after all. The darkness was his territory.

"Sorry," I said. "I zoned out."

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked. His dark eyes scanned my face. "You're really nervous about this."

I winced. Was it really that obvious? I looked down and realized my hands were shaking. This conversation was a disaster.

"I-I-" I stammered. I couldn't say it.

Without thinking it through, I leaned over and pressed my lips gently against his. He froze. After a moment, I pulled back.

"I'm sorry," I gasped. "I shouldn't've done that. You don't like me. I'm sorry. I'll- I'll just go." I turned and ran. I couldn't see past the tears in my eyes, so I tripped several times. By the time I reached the edge of the forest I was bruised, bleeding, and covered in mud.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N I had a hard time figuring out how to add an author's note, so this is on the second chapter instead of the first. I'm not sure if I need a disclaimer (it doesn't make sense, but everyone else seems to have one), so I'll put one. Rick Riordan owns the important characters and the world._

 _I'd like to thank WhatComesFromWithin for reviewing. That's the first review I've ever gotten, and it was very encouraging._

 _An Argument and an Apology_

I was sitting at the Apollo table one morning in late October. I stirred my soup with my spoon and tried not to look at the Hades table. Ever since I'd kissed him in the woods a little under two months ago, I'd been avoiding Nico di Angelo. My cheeks reddened just thinking about him. He must think I was so stupid! How had I managed to fool myself into thinking he might like me? It seemed so improbable now that I couldn't remember how I'd ever thought it was possible.

The Demeter kids entered the Dining Pavilion. I should be excited about that. I thought of my girlfriend, Courtney, and I nearly groaned aloud. I had been so mixed up after Nico's rejection that I asked Courtney, daughter of Demeter, to date me. I didn't want to date her.

Asking her out had been a misguided attempt on my part to prove to Nico that I wasn't miserable. I don't think it worked. I didn't have any particular problem with dating Courtney, but I didn't have any romantic interest in her. She was friendly and kind, and even a bit pretty, but she was nothing next to Nico.

I looked at the Hades table. On accident, sort of. Nico was sitting hunched over, facing away from me. His silky black hair was a tangled mess, and I felt the irrational urge to walk over to him and run my fingers through it. He would not appreciate that.

"Stop staring at di Angelo," Courtney said. Her voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I turned toward her. "Hi, Courtney," I said. She was standing right behind me.

"I need to talk to you," she announced loudly.

"OK," I said. "Maybe after breakfast-" I cut off because she was glaring daggers at me.

"You're not sneaking out of this this time, Will," she said. "We are talking. Right here. Right now." It sounded silly to me when she said 'this this.' It wasn't incorrect or anything, but as a child of Apollo I would have worded the sentence more clearly.

I looked at a point over her shoulder and composed my face. "That's alright with me," I said. "What do you want to talk about?" She was behaving strangely. I wasn't sure why she was acting like this, but it felt weird.

"I'm breaking up with you," she announced, loudly enough for everyone in the dining pavilion to hear.

I winced. I was really wishing she had initiated this conversation somewhere else. "OK," I said, voice slightly strained. "Why?"

"You don't care about me. You don't spend time with me. All you can do is follow di Angelo around like a whipped puppy! You're gay, aren't you, and you're using me as a cover-up. Did you ever care about me at all?!" Courtney finished her rant and waited for me to say something. She looked like she might hit me if I said the wrong thing.

I was silent for a moment. I was having a hard time processing anything except for the fact that Nico di Angelo had heard every word she'd said. It was also hard to answer her when pretty much everything she'd said was true. I focused on the one piece that wasn't.

"I'm bi, not gay," I said. "And I'm sorry."

Courtney punched me in the face as hard as she could. I dropped my spoon in my soup and reached up for my face. Blood trickled from my nose. I stood, pushed past Courtney, and ran to the infirmary. I hid in the infirmary for ten minutes before I realized that it was the first place anyone in their right mind would look for me.

I wasn't sure where to go. I had the feeling that if I went to the Apollo cabin my siblings would be there. They would either tease me or pity me. I wasn't ready to face that, especially if they teased me about Nico. I went to a secluded spot on the beach that nobody ever visited. There was a reason nobody went there. The jagged rocks were extremely sharp and pricked my feet straight through my tennis shoes. I ignored the pain and sat on a relatively smooth rock.

I almost didn't hear the soft footsteps behind me. Someone sat down next to me. I had covered my face with my hands, and I didn't look to see who was there.

"Hey," a soft voice said. I knew his voice instantly. I had obsessed over his voice for months.

I froze. "Nico?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. After a pause he added, "I wanted to apologize."

I frowned. That didn't make any sense. If I hadn't known that Nico's sense of humor was practically nonexistent, I would have thought he was teasing me. I finally managed to ask, "What do you mean?"

For a long moment, he didn't answer. "When I came back to camp three months ago, you were the only one who wasn't afraid of me. You befriended me; you insisted on giving me medical attention that I didn't want but desperately needed. You didn't even care that I- whatever that was with Octavian." He paused for a moment. "You see, Will, I value your friendship. I've ignored you, and I'm sorry. And Courtney wouldn't have been able to say what she said if I hadn't been there."

I was silent, stunned. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice when Nico left.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N Warning: Contains two curse words. It's really not that bad, so I don't think it will offend anyone. I rated this story T, after all._

 _After Curfew_

I went to my cabin and sat on my bed. I stared at the wall and hoped nobody would talk to me. No such luck. Austin sat next to me.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Go away," I said.

"I get that you're upset that Courtney broke up with you, but wasn't your relationship dying anyway?"

"That's not what I'm upset about," I said. "Go away."

"Is it about the bi thing?" Austin asked. "Cause dad and half the cabin are bi."

"No," I said. I didn't bother telling him to go away for the third time. He wasn't going to listen.

"I'm not an Aphrodite kid," Austin complained. "You have to actually tell me what's wrong."

I didn't answer. I didn't want to talk about Nico. _I_ didn't know what had happened, how was I supposed to tell someone else?

"It's Nico, isn't it," Kayla said.

I nodded miserably.

"Nico?" Austin asked. "That guy Will had a crush on?"

"Yes," I said. "That guy I had a crush on." I burst into tears and ran out of the cabin.

"Wait!" Kayla called. "It's past curfew. The harpies-" I was to far away to hear what she said after that.

The harpies were a problem. It was just bad luck; I ran right into three of them between Cabins 11 and 13. I was starting to realize how stupid it was to leave the cabin.

"A camper out of bed!" a harpy yelled enthusiastically. "A free snack."

Why had I overreacted to Austin's comment? It hadn't been that bad. I tried to run and tripped heroically on my own feet. I had to be the most pathetic demigod ever. The harpies bore down on me with their claws extended.

Suddenly Nico was there. He knocked all three harpies unconscious easily.

"Oh," I gasped. I sounded ridiculous. "Hi. Thanks."

He stared down at me. "Are you trying to get yourself killed, Solace? What are you doing out at this time of day?"

"I just- Austin was teasing me, and I couldn't stay there."

"You can't be outside after curfew," Nico said sternly.

"Like you can talk," I complained.

"I know what I'm doing, and I'm prepared to defend myself," he said. "You're not."

"I'm not going back to the Apollo Cabin," I insisted. I knew I sounded like a pouty child, which was not how I wanted to sound in front of my crush. I was too tired and stressed out to care.

Nico studied me with a thoughtful expression. His eyes seemed softer than normal. "You can stay in Cabin 13, if you want."

I wasn't quite sure what to make of that offer, but I accepted. "Thanks," I said.

He shrugged, looking awkward. "It's not that big of a deal."

I didn't know of any safe ways to respond to that, at least none I could think of with my brain scrambled by Nico's presence. I always had a hard time thinking coherently around him. Anyway, I settled for silence.

Nico was comfortable in silence. He led me to Cabin 13 and held the door open for me. The green torches flashed ominously when I stepped over the threshold. Inside the Hades Cabin it was hard to see. The only light seemed to be from the green flames outside the door, and they didn't illuminate anything besides the vague outline of shapes. Bunks? An Altar? It was hard to guess in the dark.

Nico stepped in behind me and closed the door. The sound seemed ominous in the now pitch black. I heard footsteps, but they were soft and it was hard to tell where they were coming from.

"I know it looks a bit- vampiric in here," Nico said. "I was planning to remodel, but I got used to this decor before I had the time."

"I can't see anything," I explained. "There's no light."

"Oh," Nico said. He sounded surprised. "I'd forgotten about that. Hades' children can see properly. Hazel made a lamp for when Frank visits, it should be around here somewhere."

I tried not to feel insulted that Nico had said I couldn't see properly. Frank couldn't see properly, either, and Nico probably hadn't meant it as an insult.

I heard a thump and a cry of pain. "Damn it!" Nico yelled.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I dropped Hazel's lamp on my foot," Nico complained. "Shit. Why does it have to weigh so much?"

"What's it made of?" I asked. That seemed like the most logical reason for something to be heavy.

"Diamond."

"Why do you have a lamp made of diamond?" I asked. "Wouldn't that be ghastly expensive and useless?"

"It was the fast, cheap option," Nico countered. "Hazel summoned it, Lou Ellen enchanted it to glow, and I shadow jumped it to the cabin because it was too heavy to carry far."

He apparently turned the lamp on, because the room lit up a bit. He'd been right; the décor strongly suggested vampires. All the cabins I'd been inside of had at least mostly normal bunks, except for the Hephaestus Cabin. Even the Hephaestus Cabin hadn't been this weird. The beds in the Hades Cabin looked like coffins. They were bronze and mahogany, and they looked quite elegant. Unfortunately, they also looked like coffins. The sheets and pillows were even crimson, bloody red.

I tried to make myself feel like it was funny, not creepy. "I get what you said about the vampires," I commented. I noticed an altar at the back of the cabin. It was covered in jewels and bones. Some of the bones looked human. I tried not to focus on that fact.

"Pick any bunk except this one," Nico said, indicating the one at the right of the altar. I picked the one to the left of the altar.

We got ready for bed without talking. He didn't have any pajamas in my size, so I slept in my clothes. I couldn't fall asleep that night. Maybe it was because of the unfamiliarity of the room, or the strange brass railings on the sides of my bunk. It might've been because Nico's even breathing was bizarrely distracting, or because the altar radiated a darkness that went far beyond lack of physical light. Whatever the reason, it was _very hard_ to fall asleep in Cabin 13.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N There's another curse word in this chapter. After this I'm going to stop warning about them, unless it gets notably worse._

 _I didn't come up with the information about injuries. I don't speak medicalish. Credit for that goes to my sister._

 _Sorry about the wait. I was busy with Hanukkah, and I had writer's block._

 _Nightmares and Injuries_

I still hadn't fallen asleep. It was sometime in the night when Nico had a nightmare. It started when his breathing got heavier. After a few minutes of choking, gasping and panting, he started thrashing and crying. I thought about trying to wake him, but I would have to navigate the floor blindly. I was sure to trip over something.

Then the screaming began. Nico's cries were so tortured and agonized that I couldn't stand it. I got up and walked across the floor to him. "It's everywhere," he moaned. Then he screamed, "It's breathing! Stop breathing! I can't stay…" He gave a low moan of pain. His voice was barely more than a whisper as he mumbled something about fire.

I found his shoulders in the darkness and shook them. He lifted his head and started sobbing. He'd been crying audibly before, but these were worse. His shoulders were shaking like mad.

"W-will?" Nico asked.

"I'm here," I said gently.

He grabbed my arms and pulled me towards him. "H-hold m-me," he demanded.

It was a baffling statement. I wanted to hold Nico. I'd dreamed of it. But then, I didn't want to take advantage of Nico's fragile state to allow him to order me to do anything he'd regret. I wondered if I was dreaming. I must be, for surely Nico would never say anything like that in real life. If I held him in the dream, then it would be harder to admit the reality, or lack thereof, in the morning.

Nico tugged impatiently on my hands. Then he seemed to loose confidence. His grip on me weakened. "Please?" he asked. His voice was so small and uncertain.

My will crumbled. If he'd asked me to jump off a cliff for him, I probably would've done it. I climbed over the bronze railing and lay next to him. He wrapped his arms around me and hid his face in my chest. His shoulders were shaking. I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed circles in his back.

"It's ok, Nico," I murmured. "You're safe." He seemed to like it when I talked to him; at least, his shoulders shook less, so I kept talking about how he was safe, the war was over, I was with him, etc., etc. Finally his shoulders quit shaking and he fell asleep.

I didn't seem to have any problem falling asleep in the Hades Cabin anymore. I was asleep three minutes after Nico. Maybe it was because I was more tired by then, but I think it was that my arms were around him. Whatever the reason, I fell asleep easily, and slept peacefully with no dreams.

When I woke up, Nico was still asleep. I could sense that the sun was up, but it was still completely black in the Hades Cabin. I didn't want to disturb Nico, but I had to get up. I was supposed to work in the infirmary that morning, and it would've been obvious if I'd failed to show up.

I gently detached myself from Nico. After he'd been so vulnerable and clingy, it seemed cold to just leave him there. So I pressed my lips against his forehead before I climbed out of bed and left for the infirmary. He was asleep and wouldn't remember it, but it helped me feel closer to him. I hoped he wasn't going to be mad at me for obeying his crazy request, but as long as he didn't yell at me in front of the whole camp it couldn't be as bad as Courtney breaking up with me.

I was at the infirmary for several hours before there were any unusual cases. It was just normal stuff: stab injuries, broken arms, broken jaw, kids the Stoll brothers "accidentally" poisoned, etc.

Nico, Percy, and Jason came in with more interesting injuries. Apparently, Jason and Percy had been fighting a duel on top of the lava wall. Percy was electrocuted, Jason was coughing up muddy water, and they were both thoroughly bruised from falling off the lava wall onto Nico. All three had multiple second-degree burns, and Nico had a throbbing headache from being hit in the head by Jason's boot.

I treated Nico first, because Jason and Percy were at fault. OK, so maybe I was more worried about Nico because I liked him. His head injury was serious! OK, so it wasn't very serious. Ten minutes later he was fine. I told him he could leave.

Most of the time while I'd been healing him, Nico had kept his eyes down and stayed silent. He'd been acting almost shy. When I said he could leave, he finally raised his eyes to my face. "Thanks," he said softly. He put his hand on my shoulder for a brief instant before he turned and left.

It took me a moment to realize that I was staring after him with my mouth open. By that time Jason was laughing at me. Percy just looked confused. How did Nico do this to me? He didn't even like me like that, and all he had to do to turn me into mush was stare at me with his big brown eyes. His beautiful brown eyes that were just lighter than black, with purple fire deep inside them, and delicate golden flecks around the edges…

It was completely unfair. Why did Nico have to be so damn hot?

 _A/N I didn't disappear; I had Christmas, moving, an illness and writer's block. I'm just wondering if anyone wants me to bother finishing this story. I think it's almost done, like one or two more chapters, but I'm not sure. Is it worth keeping going?_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N The song referenced in this chapter is My Immortal by Evanescence. It's beautiful; I recommend you go look it up on YouTube if you haven't heard it._

 _For now, at least, this is the ending. If a lot of people review asking for this to continue, I might add more chapters, but for now, it's over. I hope you like the ending._

 _Chapter Five: Leaving Camp_

A little before sunset I was walking back from the infirmary. Nico stepped out of the shadow of a tree beside the path.

"Will?" he called.

I smiled slightly nervously. "Nico, hi."

He bit his lip. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," I said. "What is it?"

"I'm leaving," he stated.

"Leaving?" I asked. "For how long?"

"I don't know for sure," Nico said. "Two or three years."

"Years?" I squeaked. "Why?"

"I don't- like camp," he said. "It's not for me."

"But why not?" I asked. "Camp is great, and everyone loves it here-"

"Not everyone," he said, cutting me off. "It's too bright, and I don't like having to live in close proximity to so many people. I'm going back to the Underworld."

I gave up on arguing. "I wish you'd stay," I said.

Nico swallowed slightly and stared up at me with those eyes that were so entrancing. I couldn't help it. I kissed him again. This time, he kissed back.

When we broke apart I whispered, "I love you."

"And I you," he whispered. "That's why I've been trying to stay away from you."

"What?" I asked.

"I can't stay here," Nico told me. "I can't live like this. All this does is hurt both of us. So I love you, and goodbye."

Nico walked toward the shadow of the Zeus Cabin.

"Wait!" I begged. "At least say you'll visit."

"You should move on to someone more normal," Nico said. His voice broke. "It'll be a clean wound. You can't hold on to me."

"Iris message me? Please."

He turned to look back at me. "I'm sorry." He faced away again. "Don't try to contact me. Try to heal."

"No," I said. "You can't just leave."

"I can."

I tried to grab his hand, but he was gone. All that was there were shadows.

"Please," I whispered, crying. "Please, please no."

The next three days passed in a blur. I can't remember a single thing that happened. When that time ended I tried to Iris message Nico. It wouldn't go through.

For months I tried to follow Nico's instructions. I tried to heal. I couldn't.

I was lying in my cabin, listening to My Immortal by Evanescence. That song made up my mind for me. The memory of Nico had poisoned camp. I couldn't stay here anymore.

Twenty minutes later I left. I didn't tell Chiron or any of my cabin mates. I just left.

My mother was dead, and I didn't have any other relatives I could try to find. All my friends were still at camp, so I wouldn't meet anyone I knew on my travels. I half hoped I might run into Nico, but he was probably still in the Underworld.

 _I could go to the Underworld entrance in Los Angeles and try to find him,_ I thought. _Or I could just kill myself. It would be faster._

Hope that I might see Nico again, not in the land of the living, but at least while I was alive, kept me from just wanting to die.

 _Nico didn't stay with me because I was at camp and he couldn't stay there,_ I thought. _Now I can't stay at camp any more than he could. What if we could stay somewhere besides camp together?_

That idea sounded absolutely beautiful to me. I just wished I could talk to him and ask him.

I hitch-hiked to Los Angeles and tried to find the entrance to the Underworld. I couldn't. I don't know why it was so hard. Maybe it moved?

I gave up as soon as I had the start of another plan. I went back to New York to find the Door of Orpheus. I knew it was somewhere in Central Park, and I knew the shape of the rock formation. With that information it was difficult but not impossible to find the door.

I stole a cd player and found the song that had helped me decide to leave camp. For a child of Apollo, my singing is terrible. Unless I wanted to torture the rocks into opening, I needed the cd player.

My Immortal played gently over the speakers, and the Door opened.

The Underworld is the last place a child of Apollo would ever want to go. We live by the sun, and the dark makes us weak. As a small child the dark had been my greatest fear. Before I knew Nico, I could never have made myself walk down into the dark.

But Nico was the person I loved most in the world, and he was the embodiment of darkness. I still couldn't understand the darkness, but it didn't make me not want to go down there. The darkness in the tunnel seemed seductive, enthralling. I wanted to go down there and loose myself in that darkness. It seemed worth more than life.

So I went down into the darkness to Nico's father's kingdom.


End file.
